Jennifer Nutefall, former dean of Libraries and Museums at Saint Louis University, will serve as the next dean of USD’s Helen K. and James S. Copley Library. James Antony, provost and vice president for academic affairs, announced the appointment in an email to the USD community on Thursday morning.
“Dean Nutefall joins the University of San Diego following her successful tenure as the Dean of Libraries & Museums at Saint Louis University (SLU),” the email reads. “She brings a distinguished track record of executive leadership and a deep commitment to student success, collaborative scholarship and institutional excellence.”
Jane Gorges, dean of the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, led a search committee of USD professors across disciplines and Copley faculty.
Nutefall will replace Dean Theresa Byrd. Byrd will be retiring, said Laura Turner, associate dean and head of collections, access and discovery at Copley.
USD created a job posting on a leadership advisory website more than five months ago. USD also advertised the position on LinkedIn.
“The next dean of Copley Library will shape and advance a bold, forward-looking vision and strategic plan — building on the library’s strengths as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and student success,” the LinkedIn post said.
Nutefall has worked as a dean of libraries, university librarian and instruction librarian at universities nationwide since 1998. According to Nutefall’s alma mater, Syracuse University, her first library role was at 16, in a local public library in Buffalo, N.Y. She will begin her role at Copley Library on Feb. 1, 2027.
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